Advancement

IR tackk, Adam Larson, 4th hr

During the late 1700s and early to mid 1800s a variety of technological advancements came to the world. Water currents in rivers turned massive wheels powering intricate machines that make all sorts of goods in a short period of time that would have taken days if not weeks to complete. One of these goods is wool. Before the industrial revolution, clothes were made of wool on a large wooden device called a loom. Sheep were sheared, then the wool clippings were pulled apart and made into string on a spindle. This string was then attached to the loom and a bobbin. The bobbin needed to slid back in forth over and over again, just to make a small piece of fabric. This laborious task was one of the reasons most people had only one set of clothes before the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution brought machines that increased production and decreased labor tenfold. However, these advancements also came with drawbacks. Workers in factories all too often got pieces of clothing caught in these machines, resulting in loss of limb, or death. If you lost an arm on the job, there was no workman’s compensation or returning to work. Once you couldn’t work. You were out. Workers also worked long hours with little pay.

The Industrial revolution brought many technological advancements. But it also brought many disadvantages. Long hours, little pay, living conditions questionable. I would not want to live in this time period.